As a gymnast, you know how important it is to stay strong, energized, and focused throughout your training and competitions.
You put your body through intense workouts and demand a lot from it every single day.
But, despite all the hard work you put in, have you ever struggled with:
Not having enough energy to get through your day?
Feeling drained or not performing your best at practice or competitions?
Constant soreness that makes you feel like you can hardly move?
Getting stuck in a cycle of injuries that just don’t seem to go away?
If so, you're not alone. These struggles are real for many gymnasts—but the good news is, they don’t have to be the norm. In fact, did you know that many of these challenges could be signs that you’re under-fueling?
What Does "Under-Fueled" Really Mean?
Your body requires a lot of energy each day to function properly—whether you're doing everyday activities, training, or recovering from intense sessions. Everything from keeping your organs running, to growing, to fueling your gymnastic performance takes energy.
But if you’re not getting enough fuel (through the right food), your body can’t function at its best.
When you’re adequately fueled, you’ll notice:
More energy to get through the day
Improved performance during practice and meets
Faster recovery, helping prevent injury
Better mood and mental clarity
However, when you’re under-fueled, your body has to make compromises to try and function. This can lead to fatigue, poor performance, and even higher injury risk.
The way you fuel your body is important for maximizing performance and recovery—and it all starts with your plate.
But not just any plate—the Athlete's Performance Plate.
So, What Is The Athlete's Plate?
The Athlete's Plate is a simple yet intuitive way to help gymnasts (and other athletes) ensure they’re getting enough energy and the proper nutrients to perform at their best. It’s designed to show you how to fill your plate with the right balance of foods that give you enough energy and nutrients to support training and recovery, keep you full, satisfied, and energized from meal to meal —all without feeling restricted or hungry all the time.
This method is about balance, not dieting. It allows you to enjoy the foods you love, while also ensuring your body has what it needs to train, perform, and recover.
Let’s break down what the Athlete's Plate looks like for gymnasts:
1. Grains and Starches: Your Energy Powerhouse
Grains and starches are a gymnast's main source of energy. This is a young athlete's favorite and preferred energy source to help keep you alert and awake, focused, and give you a social battery. Especially for a sport like gymnasts that incorporates short bursts of very high-intensity activity (like a 7 second vault or 90 second floor routine) followed by periods of rest and recovery, the body utilizes carbohydrates, which are densely found in grains and starches. Additionally, carbohydrates are also essential after practice to refill the body's used-up energy and help promote recovery.
Grains and starches can be categorized into two types:
Slow Starches: These are complex carbohydrates that are usually more nutrient dense and have more fiber. These take longer to digest and keep you energized over time. These types of starches are ideal for meals and snacks happening more than 2-3 hours before practice or 1 hour after practice.
Examples include whole grain bread, quinoa, oatmeal, and sweet potatoes.
Fast Starches: These are more simple carbohydrates lower in nutrients and fiber that digest quickly and provide an immediate energy boost. These types of starches are best for meals less than 2 hours before training, during training, or immediately after training when you need an instant pick-me-up
Examples of fast starches include white breads and bagels, white rice, cereal, crackers, pretzels, and other snack foods.
2. Fruits and Vegetables: The Nutrient Powerhouses
Fruits and veggies (aka your “color” section) aren’t just for extra vitamins and minerals—they also contribute to your energy levels, support recovery, and keep your immune system strong.
Fruits and vegetables also contain carbohydrates (the same macronutrient in grains that provides the body with energy). BUT they are not equivalent in the amount of energy they provide. Grains and starches are the most energy dense (usually about 45g of carbohydrates per cup). Fruits are moderately energy dense (usually about 15-25g of carbohydrates per cup/piece/serving depending on the fruit). Non starchy vegetables are not very energy dense at all (usually about 5g of carbohydrates per 1/2C cooked or 1C raw). For most gymnasts trying to meet energy and nutrient demands, it would be very hard to fuel performance and recovery with just fruits and vegetables.
However, that's not to say these foods are not important! Fruits and vegetables are packed with fiber which helps support fullness, longer lasting energy, and gut health, in addition to a variety of vitamins and minerals that support all of the body's functions (including energy production, muscle function, and recovery).
3. Protein: For Strength and Recovery
Protein is a key player in building and repairing muscles, making it essential for gymnasts. After all, you need strong muscles to perform those high-intensity skills and recover afterward.
Protein helps rebuild muscle fibers, and it’s not just about strength—it’s important for your bones, tendons, and overall growth.
Whether you prefer plant-based or animal-based proteins, ensure you’re getting a good source at every meal. Animal sources include lean meats, eggs, and dairy, while plant sources include beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, and seeds.
4. Fats: Healthy and Essential
Fats often get a bad reputation, but they’re crucial for overall health and recovery. Fats support energy production, brain function, inflammation reduction and recovery, nutrient absorption, and hormone health—all of which are key when you're training at a high level.
Unsaturated fats are a gymnast's go-to—think avocado, olive oil, fatty fish (like salmon), nuts, and seeds, as well as foods, dips, and dressings made with these ingredients (like guacamole, hummus, pesto, salad dressing, etc.). These fats are heart-healthy, anti-inflammatory, and great for recovery.
Additionally, we can also get fats from most animal proteins, full fat dairy, eggs, butter, and coconut, which help support overall energy intake and satiety.
Adjusting the Athlete’s Plate for Different Intensity Levels
The Athlete’s Plate is a blueprint or framework for building meals and snacks that you can adjust based on your training needs. Depending on whether you're in the off-season, pre-season, or competition season, or whether you have a high intensity or low intensity workout, you’ll want to adjust the proportions.
Moderate Intensity Plate:
The moderate intensity plate is what I often refer to as "baseline" for most gymnasts. This plate is appropriate for most gymnasts training 2-4 hours per day, including summer training, pre-season training, and in-season training when not in a meet week. This plate is also helpful for gymnasts on a recovery day (not a true break, but that single day or two between practice days meant for you to recover) or if you are healing from an injury.
To build a moderate intensity performance plate, most gymnasts will need
1/3 grains
1/3 protein
1/3 fruits/veggies
2-3 servings of fat
High Intensity Plate:
During times of higher or longer intensity training, such as long or double practices, competition lead-ups, or camps, gymnasts can either focus on increasing the overall portions of food at meals or snacks or adjust their plate to follow the high intensity performance plate. Additionally, gymnasts eating meals or snacks within 2 hours or less before a practice or during a workout will also want to build a high-intensity performance plate, since it provides more energy and can be easier on the stomach (leading to less mid-workout stomach troubles).
To support an increased need for energy and recovery, the high intensity performance plate has
1/2 grains
1/3-1/4 protein
1/4 fruits/veggies,
1-3 servings of fat
Low Intensity Plate:
For periods of lighter training (lower intensity workouts for 1 hour or less), if you are taking a break from gymnastics and all sports (for non-injury reasons), or if you get an off-season without much training, gymnasts can choose to listen to their body, respecting their newly adjusted hunger and fullness cues, or adjust their plate to reflect the low-intensity model.
To support a decreased need for energy and recovery, the low intensity performance plate has
1/4 grains
1/4-1/3 protein
1/2 fruits/veggies
1-3 servings of fat
Timing Matters: Fuel Before and After Practice
When it comes to performance nutrition, timing is everything. As a gymnast, your body needs fuel before and after practice to stay energized and recover effectively and you can continue to use and modify your performance plate as a guide.
Before practice: Eat a meal or snack 1.5–2 hours before training to give you quick energy without weighing you down. The goal would be to build a modified high intensity performance plate, choosing low or moderate fiber carbs for energy, some protein, and only a small amount of fat. For example, a simple sandwich with a side of fruit, a plate with crackers, cheese, and fruit, or a burrito bowl with rice, chicken, and a small amount of veggies, salsa, and/or cheese.
After practice: Post-workout nutrition is all about recovery. Your muscles need both carbs and protein to repair and rebuild. Ideally, try to eat either a meal or snack following the high intensity performance plate within 60 minutes after practice (or a high-intensity snack within an hour and a moderate or high intensity plate meal within 3 hours).
Stay Consistent: Nutrition for Long-Term Success
Building the ultimate Performance Plate isn’t a one-time thing—it’s a consistent practice that will pay off over time. Just like practicing your routines daily, fueling your body properly should become part of your routine.
Pay attention to how your body responds to different foods. Everyone is unique, so you might find that you feel best with certain meals or snacks before or after practice. Experiment and see what works for you!
The Performance Plate is all about fueling your body to perform at its best. By balancing the right nutrients, timing your meals, eating a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables, and staying consistent, you’ll not only feel more energized but also improve your performance over time.
Remember, the Athlete's Plate isn’t just about what you eat—it’s about making sure you're getting the right energy to fuel your workouts, support recovery, and prevent injury. It’s a sustainable, intuitive approach to fueling your body for gymnastics success, and best of all, it doesn't involve dieting or restriction.
By using this framework, you’ll give your body what it needs without feeling deprived or overwhelmed. With consistent fueling, you’ll be energized, stronger, and ready to crush your next practice or meet!
When you skip meals and snacks, avoid foods, and don't make performance fueling and recovery a priority, you can't expect make the most progress in the gym this fall (and beyond). It's not just about giving 100% when you're in the gym, but also making what you do outside of the gym a priority. It's not too late to get your nutrition sorted out and see major improvements this season!
The Fueled Gymnast Academy is the is the simplest way for busy gymnast (and those who feed them) to learn the ins and outs of fueling their body as a high level gymnast so they can
have more energy, reduce the risk of injury, and perform their best
AND
feel confident and empowered to make their own food choices (and not just have someone tell them what they have to eat).
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